Wearable device and method for controlling display of the same

ABSTRACT

A wearable device and a method for controlling display of the same are disclosed. Herein, the method for controlling the wearable device includes the steps of, when a contents or channel change in information currently being viewed through an external device occurs, determining whether or not the contents change corresponds to a change performed by a wearer of the wearable device, and, when it is determined that the contents change corresponds to a change performed by a viewer other than the wearer of the wearable device, displaying a content signal that was previously viewed prior to the contents change to the display means.

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims the benefit ofthe Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0147481, filed on Nov. 29,2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forthherein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wearable device. And, mostparticularly, the present invention relates to a method for controllinga wearable device, so that information desired by a user can bedisplayed on the wearable device.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

With the recent trend in digital devices becoming more light-weight andmore compact in size, diverse types of wearable devices are beingresearched and developed. Herein, a wearable device collectively refersto all types of digital devices that can be worn on a user's head, arm,eye, and so on, so as to provide diverse information to the user. Forexample, diverse types of wearable devices using diverse methods, suchas a ‘Smart Glass’ type (e.g., Head Mount Display (HMD), G-Glass, and soon) being worn on the head, a ‘Smart Watch’ type being worn on the arm,a ‘Smart Lens’ type being inserted in the eyes just as contact lenses,are being researched and developed.

Additionally, most of the wearable devices are provided with a displaymeans on one side of the wearable device, so as to provide diverseinformation to the user, as described above. For example, the displaymeans may be capable of conveniently providing the user with wanted (ordesired) information by being configured of a combination of AugmentedReality (AR), N-screen technology, and so on. Respectively, an object ofthe present invention is to allow the user to use the diverse types ofwearable devices so as to be provided with more significant information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a wearable device anda method for controlling display of the same that substantially obviateone or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the relatedart.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wearable device and amethod for controlling display of the same that can provide a user withsignificant information by using a display means of the wearable device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wearable deviceand a method for controlling display of the same that can recognizemotions and gestures of a user wearing the wearable device, so as toprovide adequate information respective to the recognized motions andgestures.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wearabledevice and a method for controlling display of the same that canautomatically recognize channel or contents information, which is wanted(or desired) by a user wearing the wearable device, so as to provide theautomatically recognized information to the corresponding user.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wearabledevice and a method for controlling display of the same that candetermine intentions of the user wearing the wearable device, when achange in the channel or contents occurs, while multiple users arecommonly viewing a specific channel or contents through an externaldisplay, so as to use the determined intentions of the correspondinguser for controlling the display.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wearabledevice and a method for controlling display of the same that cancontinue to display the same previous channel or contents to the userwearing the wearable device, when a third party attempts to change thechannel or contents instead of the user wearing the wearable displaydevice, while multiple users are commonly viewing a specific channel orcontents through an external display.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wearabledevice and a method for controlling display of the same that can providethe user wearing the wearable device with user-selectable menuinformation, when a third party attempts to change the channel orcontents instead of the user wearing the wearable device, while multipleusers are commonly viewing a specific channel or contents through anexternal display, so that the corresponding user can select whether ornot to display the same previous channel or contents.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a wearabledevice and a method for controlling display of the same that meet withat least one of the above-described technical objects of the presentinvention.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

For simplicity in the description of the present invention, the terms‘channel’ and ‘contents’ will be collectively referred to as ‘channel’.Therefore, it should be noted that the term ‘channel’, which is used inthe following detailed description of the present invention and in theappended drawings, will be equally applied as a ‘contents’ unit as wellas a ‘channel’ unit.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, in amethod for controlling display of a wearable device, the wearable devicebeing equipped with a display means, the method for controlling thewearable device includes the steps of, when a contents change ininformation currently being viewed through an external device occurs,determining whether or not the contents change corresponds to a changeperformed by a wearer of the wearable device, and, when it is determinedthat the contents change corresponds to a change performed by a viewerother than the wearer of the wearable device, displaying a contentsignal that was previously viewed prior to the contents change to thedisplay means.

Additionally, the step of determining whether or not the contents changecorresponds to a change performed by a wearer of the wearable device mayinclude the steps of detecting a specific motion or gesture of thewearer of the wearable device, after detecting the specific motion orgesture, verifying whether or not a contents change signal is received,and, based upon the verified result, when the contents change signal isreceived after detecting the specific motion or gesture of the wearer ofthe wearable device, determining the respective contents change as acontents change performed by the wearer of the wearable device.

Additionally, in order to determine the received contents change as acontents change performed by the wearer of the wearable device, amovement in a body and an arm of the wearer of the wearable device maybe detected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined size at leastbefore the contents change signal is received.

Additionally, the method for controlling display of the wearable device,further includes, when wireless communication is set up with theexternal device, receiving contents information currently beingdisplayed on the external device and storing the received contentsinformation.

Additionally, the method for controlling display of the wearable device,further includes, when it is determined that the contents changecorresponds to a change performed by a viewer other than the wearer ofthe wearable device, using the stored contents information, so as torequest for contents corresponding to the stored contents informationfrom the external device.

Meanwhile, according to another aspect of the present invention, awearable device includes a communication unit configured to be capableof performing communication with an external device, a display meansconfigured to be capable of displaying a signal received from theexternal device, and a controller configured to perform controloperations so that a content signal viewed prior to contents change canbe displayed on the display means of the wearable device, when acontents change in information currently being viewed through anexternal device occurs, and when it is determined that the contentschange does not correspond to a change performed by a wearer of thewearable device.

Additionally, the wearable device further includes a sensor unitconfigured to detect a motion or gesture of the wearer of the wearabledevice.

Additionally, in order to determine whether or not the contents changecorresponds to a change performed by a wearer of the wearable device,the controller may be configured to analyze a specific motion or gestureof the wearer of the wearable device, the specific motion of gesturebeing detected by the sensor unit, and, only when a contents changesignal is received after detecting the specific motion or gesture,determining the respective contents change as a contents changeperformed by the wearer of the wearable device.

Additionally, in order to determine the received contents change as acontents change performed by the wearer of the wearable device, amovement in a body and an arm of the wearer of the wearable device maybe detected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined size at leastbefore the contents change signal is received.

Additionally, the wearable device further includes a storage unitconfigured to receive contents information currently being displayed onthe external device and to store the received contents information, whenwireless communication is set up with the external device.

Additionally, when it is determined that the contents change correspondsto a change performed by a viewer other than the wearer of the wearabledevice, the controller may further be configured to perform a process ofrequesting for contents corresponding to the stored contents informationfrom the external device by using the stored contents information storedin the storage unit.

Additionally, the wearable device may correspond to any one of a smartglass type device, a smart watch type device, and a smart lens typedevice.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, in a method forcontrolling display of a wearable device, the wearable device beingequipped with a display means, the method for controlling the wearabledevice includes the steps of, when a contents change in informationcurrently being viewed through an external device occurs, receivingcontents change information from the external device, with respect tothe received contents change information, providing the display meanswith user interaction inquiring on whether or not to receive a previouscontents signal prior to the contents change, with respect to the userinteraction, identifying a user command requesting for the previouscontents signal to be received, and, with respect to the user command,receiving the previous contents signal from an external source, anddisplaying the received previous contents signal on the display means ofthe wearable device.

Additionally, the method for controlling display of the wearable devicefurther includes verifying whether or not the contents change isperformed by the wearer of the wearable device, wherein the userinteraction may be provided only when it is determined through theverification step that the contents change is performed by a viewerother than the wearer of the wearable device.

Additionally, the step of verifying whether or not the contents changeis performed by the wearer of the wearable device may include the stepsof analyzing a specific motion or gesture of the wearer of the wearabledevice, and, when the contents change signal is received after analyzingthe specific motion or gesture of the wearer of the wearable device,determining the respective contents change as a contents changeperformed by the wearer of the wearable device.

Additionally, in order to determine the received contents change as acontents change performed by the wearer of the wearable device, amovement in a body and an arm of the wearer of the wearable device maybe detected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined size at leastbefore the contents change signal is received.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 a to FIG. 1 b illustrate the background art technology in orderto facilitate the understanding of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates referential view showing external features of a smartglass as an exemplary embodiment of a wearable device according that canbe applied to the present invention;

FIG. 3 a to FIG. 3 b and FIG. 4 a to FIG. 4 b respectively illustratethe concept being applied to the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart being applied to the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a detailed flow chart being applied to the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart showing an interaction between anexternal device and a wearable device according to an exemplaryembodiment being applied to the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart showing an interaction between anexternal device and a wearable device according to another exemplaryembodiment being applied to the present invention; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a block view showing an internal structure of thewearable device adopting the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Although the terms used in the description of the present invention areselected from generally known and used terms, considering the abilitiesof the present invention, the terms used herein may be varied ormodified in accordance with the intentions or practice of anyone skilledin the art, or along with the advent of a new technology. Alternatively,in some particular cases, some of the terms mentioned in the descriptionof the present invention may be selected by the applicant at his or herdiscretion, the detailed meanings of which are described in relevantparts of the description herein. Furthermore, it is required that thepresent invention is understood, not simply by the actual terms used butby the meaning of each term lying within. Most particularly, it shouldbe noted that the term ‘wearable device’, which is used in the presentinvention, is used to collectively refer to all types of devices thatcan be detachably fixed to part of the user's body, rather than merelyindicating the specific product itself. Therefore, in order tofacilitate the understanding of the present invention, even if a portionof the description of the present invention is based upon one specifictype (e.g., a smart glass type), among the various types of ‘wearabledevices’, with the exception for the specific operations or functions ofthe corresponding wearable device type, it should be understood that allconcepts of the present invention are to be equally applicable to alltypes of wearable devices. Hereinafter, in order to describe the presetinvention, although the smart glass type will be given as an example ofthe wearable device, it will be apparent that the content of the presentinvention can also be equally applied to the smart watch type and thesmart lens type. Furthermore, as described above, it should beunderstood that the term ‘channel’, which is used in the description ofthe present invention, has been used to include ‘channel’ units of aspecific broadcast channel as well as ‘contents’ units, which aredifferentiated for each set of contents.

FIG. 1 a to FIG. 1 b illustrate the background art technology in orderto facilitate the understanding of the present invention. FIG. 1 aillustrates an exemplary case when it is assumed that multiple viewers(e.g., Viewer A 10 and Viewer B 20) are viewing specific channelinformation 31 (e.g., Channel A (CH A)) through a main display or anexternal device 30 (e.g., television (TV)) in a general household or apublic facility or place. FIG. 1 b illustrates an exemplary case when itis assumed, in the situation shown in FIG. 1 a, that viewer B 20 changesthe viewing channel from the current Channel A 31, which is being viewedthrough an external display device, to another channel B 32 by using aremote controller 40 or another means. Accordingly, even if Viewer A 10is still willing to view the previous channel A 31, Viewer A 10 may beforced to stop viewing Channel A, which Viewer A 10 wishes to view, andmay be forced to view a channel he (or she) does not wish to view (e.g.,Channel B).

For example, in case Viewer A 10 is a male viewer, and in case Viewer B20 is a female viewer, preferred channel information of each viewer maydiffer from one another, such as Sports (Channel A) and Drama (or TVseries) (Channel B). Moreover, for example, in case Viewer A 10 is aparent viewer, and in case Viewer B is a child viewer, the preferredchannel information of each viewer may differ from one another. Asdescribed above, it will be apparent that, when multiple viewers arecommonly viewing a specific channel through a common main display device30, and when the viewing channel is changed by a specific viewer withoutthe consent of one or more other viewers, the channel information of theprevious channel is required to be continuously provided to the otherviewers, who have not agreed with the change in the viewing channel. Thepresent invention intends to realize such requirements by using theabove-described wearable device.

FIG. 2 illustrates referential view showing external features of a smartglass as an exemplary embodiment of a wearable device according that canbe applied to the present invention. As described above, the presentinvention will hereinafter be described by giving a smart glass 100 asan example of the wearable device according to the present invention.However, the details of the present invention may be identically appliedto other wearable devices.

FIG. 2 corresponds to an exemplary model of a smart glass, which iscurrently most widely known. Herein, although its exterior (or outside)features are similar to a general pair of glasses, the smart glass isequipped with a display means 101, which operates on an optical effectand electrical signals, on one side of the smart glass. Since thestructure (or configuration) and operation principles of the displaymeans 101 are identical to those of the related art method, detaileddescription of the same will hereinafter be omitted for simplicity. If a‘smart watch’ or a ‘smart lens’ is being applied as an example of thewearable device according to the present invention, it will be apparentthat the operating principles of the display means are different fromthose of the smart glass. Eventually, regardless of the type of thedisplay means, the present invention may be equally applied to anywearable device being equipped with any type of display means.

FIG. 3 a to FIG. 3 b and FIG. 4 a to FIG. 4 b respectively illustratethe concept being applied to the present invention. First of all, FIG. 3a to FIG. 3 b will hereinafter be described in detail. FIG. 3 acorresponds to the same assumption made in FIG. 1 a, with the exceptionfor the fact that Viewer A 10 is wearing the smart glass 100. Morespecifically, FIG. 3 a illustrates an exemplary case when it is assumedthat Viewer A 10 wearing the smart glass 100 and Viewer B 20 are viewingspecific channel information 31 (e.g., Channel A (CH A)) through anexternal display device 30 (e.g., television (TV)) in a generalhousehold or a public facility or place. In the above-describedsituation, although it is shown in the example that Viewer B 20 is notwearing the smart glass 100, the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3 aand FIG. 3 b may be realized regardless of whether or not Viewer B 20 iswearing the smart glass 100.

FIG. 3 b illustrates an exemplary case when it is assumed, in thesituation shown in FIG. 3 a, that viewer B 20 changes the viewingchannel from the Channel A 31, which is the current viewing channel ofthe external display device 30, to another channel B 32 by using aremote controller 40. More specifically, in the exemplary case shown inFIG. 3 b, if the viewing channel of the external display device 30 ischanged regardless of Viewer A's free will), who is wearing the smartglass 100, Viewer A 10 may continue to view the previously viewedchannel information (i.e., Channel A information) through the displaymeans 101 of the smart glass 100.

Additionally, FIG. 4 a to FIG. 4 b will hereinafter be described indetail. FIG. 4 a illustrates a case when it is assumed that viewer A 10wearing a smart glass 100 and viewer B20 are viewing specific channelinformation (32) (e.g., Channel B) through an external display device30. And, FIG. 4 b illustrates an exemplary case when it is assumed, inthe situation shown in FIG. 4 a, that viewer A (10), who is wearing thesmart glass 100, changes the viewing channel from the Channel B 32,which is the current viewing channel of the external display device 30,to another channel A 31 by using a remote controller 40. Morespecifically, in the exemplary case shown in FIG. 4 b, since viewer A 10wearing the smart glass 100 has intentionally performed channel changeon his (or her) own free will, the previous channel B 32 informationwill not be provided later on through the display means 101 of the smartglass 100. More specifically, by comparing FIG. 3 b to FIG. 4 b, it willeventually be apparent that the control of the display means included inthe smart glass 100 may vary from one another depending upon who thechannel changing subject is. For example, in case the viewer wearing thesmart glass 100 has changed the channel by himself (or by herself)(e.g., FIG. 4 b), the previous channel information is not displayed onthe display means 101 of the smart glass 100. Conversely, in case aviewer other than the viewer wearing the smart glass 100 has changed thechannel (e.g., FIG. 3 b), the smart glass 100 may be controlled so thatthe previous channel information can be displayed on the display means101 of the smart glass 100.

Hereinafter, the characteristic operations of the present invention andthe detailed description of the same will be described in more detailwith reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 9. FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chartbeing applied to the present invention. Respectively, the flow chart ofFIG. 5 relates to a method for controlling display of the smart glass100, which is worn by the above-described viewer A 10. For example, theflow chart of FIG. 5 may be understood as an exemplary embodiment of anoperation of controlling the display 101 performed by a controller 110,which is included in an internal structure of the smart glass 100 shownin FIG. 9, which will be described later on in more detail.

First of all, in a situation when channel information (e.g., Channel A)is being viewed through an external display device 30 (S100), the smartglass 100 verifies whether or not channel change has been performed(S110). The information on whether or not the channel change has beenperformed may be determined by a communication between the externaldisplay device 30 and the smart glass 100. For example, when a channelchange occurs, the external display device 30 may transmit a channelchange notification to the smart glass 100, and, after receiving thechannel change notification, the smart glass 100 may verify that thecurrent channel of the external display device 30 has been changed.

Thereafter, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 verifies whetheror not the verified channel change corresponds to a channel changeperformed by a user (or viewer) wearing the smart glass 100 (i.e., awearer of the smart glass 100) (e.g., viewer A 10) (S120). If, in stepS120, it is determined that the verified channel change corresponds to aresult of a channel change performed by a user other than the wearer ofthe smart glass 100 (or the user wearing the smart glass 100) (e.g.,viewer B 20), the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 controls thesmart glass 100, so that the previous channel A information, which wasbeing viewed prior to the channel change, can be displayed (S 140).Conversely, in step S120, if it is determined that the verified channelchange corresponds to a result of a channel change performed by thewearer of the smart glass 100 (or the user wearing the smart glass 100),the previous channel information is not displayed on the display means101 of the smart glass 100 (S130).

Respectively, FIG. 6 illustrates a detailed flow chart being applied tothe present invention. And, more particularly, FIG. 6 shows a detailedmethod of determining a subject performing the channel change in stepS120. More specifically, a process of determining the subject performingthe channel change (S200) first includes a step of detecting andanalyzing a motion and gesture of the smart glass wearer 10 (or user 10wearing the smart glass 100) (S210). More specifically, step S210 isperformed by a sensor unit 106 and a camera 105, which are included inthe internal structure of the smart glass 100 shown in FIG. 9, whichwill be described later on in more detail, so as to detect any motionand/or gesture performed near the smart glass 100, and, then, a movementdetermining unit 107 analyzes the detected motion and/or gesture, so asto determine the presence of a specific movement.

More specifically, the sensor unit 106 detects all movements performedby the smart glass wearer 10. For example, the sensor unit 106 detectswhether or not the smart glass wearer 10 performs a motion of leaning anupper part of his (or her) body forward, or whether or not the smartglass wearer 10 performs a motion of grabbing a specific object (e.g.,remote controller 40) by using any one of his (or her) left arm or rightarm. Thereafter, when the detected motion and/or gesture of the smartglass wearer 10 is determined to be performed in a movement rangegreater than a predetermined movement size, or when the detected motionand/or gesture of the smart glass wearer 10 is determined to beidentical to a specific operation gesture (e.g., an operation ofgrabbing an object), this may indicate that a movement of the smartglass wearer exists.

After step S210, for example, after the significant movement of thesmart glass wearer 10, which is performed in step S210, it is determinedwhether or not a channel change signal is received (S220). Accordingly,after determining the presence of the significant movement in step S210,when a channel change signal is received within a predetermined shortperiod of time (T) (S220), the controller 110 may finally determine thechannel change, which is performed by the smart glass wearer 10 (S230).On the other hand, in step S210, if a channel change signal is receivedwhile the detected motion and/or gesture is not determined as themovement performed by the smart glass wearer 10, or if the channelchange signal is received after a predetermined period of time, even incase the detected motion and/or gesture has been determined to beperformed by the smart glass wearer 10, the controller 110 of the smartglass 100 (or smart glass controller 110) may determine that thedetected channel change has been performed by another user instead ofthe smart glass wearer 10 (S240).

Accordingly, based upon the determined result of steps S230 and S240,the following control operations S250 and S260 may be decided. Asdescribed above in step S230, if it is determined that the channelchange has been performed by the smart glass wearer 10, the smart glasscontroller 110 controls the smart glass 100, so that previous channelinformation cannot be displayed on the display means 101 of the smartglass 100 (S250). Conversely, as described above in step S240, if it isdetermined that the channel change has been performed by a user otherthan the smart glass wearer 10, the smart glass controller 110 controlsthe smart glass 100, so that previous channel information can bedisplayed on the display means 101 of the smart glass 100 (S260).Moreover, each of the steps S250 and S260 may further include a step ofproviding menu information available with user interaction respective toeach step. And, this will be described later on in more detail.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart showing an interaction between anexternal display device and a wearable device according to an exemplaryembodiment being applied to the present invention. For example, forsimplicity in the description of the present invention, the externaldisplay device will be described as a smart TV 30, and the wearabledevice will be described as the smart glass 100.

In a state when communication has been set up between the smart TV 30and the smart glass 100 and when data transmission and reception betweenthe smart TV 30 and the smart glass 100 is available (S300), the smartTV 30 may assume that the smart TV 30 is in a state of displayingchannel A (S310). With respect to a signal inquiring on or requestingfor the channel information that is currently being displayed, thesignal being transmitted by the smart glass 100 (S320), the smart TV 30provides the channel information (e.g., Channel A) that is currentlybeing displayed to the smart glass 100 (S330). Thereafter, the smartglass 100 stores the received channel A information in an internalstorage unit 102 (S340).

Subsequently, in case a change (e.g., a change from Channel A to ChannelB) has occurred in the channel that is currently being viewed, the smartTV 30 displays the channel information corresponding to the newlychanged Channel B (S350). At the same time as step S350 is beingperformed, the smart TV 30 notifies the change in the viewing channel tothe smart glass 100 (S360). After receiving the notification on thechange in the viewing channel, by performing a process of determiningthe subject performing the channel change, as described above withreference to FIG. 6, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 (or thesmart glass controller 110) determines whether the channel change isperformed by the smart glass 100 wearer (or the user wearing the smartglass 100), or whether the channel change is performed by a user otherthan the smart glass 100 wearer (S370). Based upon the determined resultin step S370, if it is determined that the channel change is performedby a user other than the user wearing the smart glass 100, thecontroller 110 of the smart glass 100 uses the previous channelinformation (e.g., Channel A), which has been stored in step S340, so asto request for a channel signal respective to the previous Channel A tobe transmitted from the smart TV 30 (S380). After receiving the requestfor channel signal transmission, the smart TV 30 transmits a Channel Asignal to the smart glass 100 (S390). After receiving the Channel Asignal, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 displays the receivedChannel A signal on the display means 101 (S392). On the other hand, thesmart TV 30 continues to display the channel signal of the newly changedChannel B (S391).

Additionally, although it is not shown in the drawing, after the stateof having performed steps S391 and S392, if the display channel of thesmart TV 30 returns to the previous Channel A from Channel B, the smartTV 30 notifies the occurrence of the corresponding channel change to thesmart glass 100. Thereafter, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100compares the newly changed channel information with the channelinformation (e.g., Channel A), which is stored in the internal storageunit 102. And, if it is determined that the newly changed displaychannel of the smart TV 30 has returned to the previously stored ChannelA, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 may perform controloperations so that the display of the Channel A signal, which iscurrently being performed as a result of step S392, can be stopped.Respectively, the smart glass wearer 10 may also set up and store his(or her) preferred channels in advance. Furthermore, in step S380, inorder to receive the Channel A signal, instead of requesting the smartTV 30 for the Channel A signal, the smart glass 100 may also directlytune to a Channel A signal and receive the Channel A signal. However, inorder to so, it will be apparent that the smart glass 100 is required tobe separately provided with an antenna and tuner for receiving abroadcast channel.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart showing an interaction between anexternal device and a wearable device according to another exemplaryembodiment being applied to the present invention. As mentioned abovewith reference to FIG. 7, for simplicity in the description of thepresent invention, the external display device will also be described asa smart TV 30, and the wearable device will be described as the smartglass 100.

In a state when communication has been set up between the smart TV 30and the smart glass 100 and when data transmission and reception betweenthe smart TV 30 and the smart glass 100 is available (S400), the smartTV 30 may assume that the smart TV 30 is in a state of displayingchannel A (S410). The smart TV 30 provides the channel information(e.g., Channel A) that is currently being displayed to the smart glass100 (S420).

Subsequently, in case a change (e.g., a change from Channel A to ChannelB) has occurred in the channel that is currently being viewed, the smartTV 30 displays the channel information corresponding to the newlychanged Channel B (S430). The smart TV 30 notifies the change in theviewing channel to the smart glass 100 (S440).

After receiving the notification on the change in the viewing channel,by performing a process of determining the subject performing thechannel change, as described above with reference to FIG. 6, thecontroller 110 of the smart glass 100 (or the smart glass controller110) determines whether the channel change is performed by the smartglass 100 wearer (or the user wearing the smart glass 100), or whetherthe channel change is performed by a user other than the smart glass 100wearer (S450). Moreover, as another optional embodiment, the controller110 of the smart glass 100 may also provide menu information availablefor user interaction to the display means (101) without having todetermine the subject performing the channel change. More specifically,for example, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 provides menuinformation, which notifies that a change has occurred in the viewingchannel of the smart TV 30 from Channel A to Channel B, on one side ofthe display means (101), thereby allows the user to choose (or select)whether or not to separately display the previous Channel A.

With respect to the user interaction menu information, when the smartglass 100 wearer selects to display a Channel A signal, as the usercommand, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 requests for achannel signal respective to the previous Channel A to be transmittedfrom the smart TV 30 (S460). Subsequently, after receiving the requestfor channel signal transmission, the smart TV 30 transmits a Channel Asignal to the smart glass 100 (S470). Then, after receiving the ChannelA signal, the controller 110 of the smart glass 100 displays thereceived Channel A signal on the display means 101 (S490). The smart TV30 continues to display the channel signal of the newly changed ChannelB (S480). On the other hand, with respect to the user interaction menuinformation, if the smart glass 100 wearer (or user wearing the smartglass 100) does not select to display the Channel A signal, thecontroller 110 of the smart glass 100 does not perform the process stepof requesting the smart TV 30 to transmit the channel signal respectiveto the previous Channel A.

Additionally, referring to FIG. 8, as shown in the block marked in adotted line (S435), the smart TV 30 may optionally determine the subjectperforming the channel change. Herein, for example, the process ofdetermining the subject performing the channel change, which isperformed by the smart TV 30, may be performed by using amotion-detected three-dimensional (3D) camera (not shown), whichrecognizes the movements of users (or viewers) positioned in front ofthe camera, so as to determine by which one of the viewers the channelchange has been performed. More specifically, for example, when achannel change signal is received immediately after detecting a specificmotion or gesture of a specific viewer (or user), it may be determinedthat the channel change has been performed by the corresponding viewer.As shown in step S435, in case the smart TV 30 determines the subjectperforming the channel change, in step S450, the smart glass 100 mayonly provide the above-described user interaction procedure withouthaving to perform the process of determining the subject performing thechannel change.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block view showing an internal structure of thewearable device adopting the present invention. For simplicity in thedescription, an example of the wearable device corresponding to thesmart glass 100 will be given herein. Referring to FIG. 9, the smartglass 100 according to the present invention is configured to include adisplay means 101, a storage unit 102, a communication unit 103, a usercontrol information input unit 104, a camera 105, a sensor unit 106, amovement determining unit 107, and a controller 110.

As a device configured to display information, the display means 101 maybe realized by using diverse methods. Most particularly, based upon thedifferent types of the wearable device, liquid crystal display (LCD),light-emitting diode (LED), and optical methods may be applied herein.Additionally, herein, the above-described user interaction menuinformation may be provided through the display means 101.

In addition to storing software programs required for operating (ordriving) the smart glass 100, whenever required, the storage unit 102may also temporarily store specific information. Respectively, accordingto the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, channelinformation currently being displayed on an external device may bestored in the storage unit 102, or preferred channels pre-set by theuser may be stored in the storage unit 102 in advance. Herein, thestorage unit 102 may also store diverse types of digital data, such asvideo data, audio data, still images, moving picture images,applications, and so on.

The communication unit 103 may be connected to a network via wired orwireless connection, thereby being capable of transmitting/receivingdata with diverse external devices. For example, according to a partialexemplary embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit103 may be connected to the above-described external display device 30via wireless communication, so as to transmit/receive necessaryinformation. Additionally, the smart glass 100 may use the communicationunit 103, so as to perform pairing and communication access with aneighboring digital device, and the smart glass 100 may alsotransmit/receive data to/from the accessed (or connected) digitaldevice. Meanwhile, the communication unit 103 may include multipleantennae. The smart glass 100 may use the multiple antennae, so as todirectly receive broadcast signals from an external source.Additionally, the smart glass 100 may use the multiple antennae, so asto detect a position status of the digital device, which is connected tothe smart glass 100 via communication access (or connection). Morespecifically, by using time difference, phase difference, and so on, ofthe signals each being transmitted/received through the multipleantennae provided in the smart glass 100, a position relation betweenthe smart glass 100 and the digital device connected thereto may bedetected.

The user control information input unit 104 refers to a means configuredto receive a user control command, which controls the usage of the smartglass 100. The user control command may include a user configurationcommand. For example, with respect to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the wearer 10 of the smart glass 100 (or user 10wearing the smart glass 100) may pre-set preferred channels through theuser control information input unit 104. And, herein, settings may bemade so that operations of FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 can be performed only in acase when the channel currently being displayed corresponds to thepreferred channel. Additionally, the wearer 10 of the smart glass 100may also perform initial settings of the channel displaying methodthrough the user control information input unit 104. For example, asshown in FIG. 7, when it is determined that the channel change is notperformed by the viewer 10 wearing the smart glass 100, settings may bemade so that the previous channel information can be automaticallydisplayed on the display means 101. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, whenit is determined that the channel change is not performed by the viewer10 wearing the smart glass 100, settings may also be made, so that userinteraction menu information can first be provided, and, then, whetheror not to display the previous channel information can be decided inaccordance with a user command respective to the provided userinteraction information. Herein, user command respective to the userinteraction menu information may be provided through the user controlinformation input unit 104.

The camera 105 is configured to be used for recognizing objects locatedin front of the smart glass 100 and capturing images (or takingpictures) of the recognized objects. The sensor unit 106 is configuredto perform a function of detecting movement in neighboring objects ofthe smart glass 100. Herein, the sensor unit 106 may be configured ofmultiple sensing modules, for example, each consisting of at least onesensing means, such as a gravity sensor, a geomagnetic (or terrestrialmagnetism) sensor, a motion sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an accelerationsensor, an infrared sensor, an inclination sensor, a brightness sensor,an altitude sensor, an odor sensor, a temperature sensor (or thermalsensor), a depth sensor, a pressure sensor, a banding sensor, an audiosensor, a video sensor, a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, atouch sensor, and so on. Nevertheless, the present invention will not belimited only to the sensing means presented above. For example,according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in orderto determine the subject performing the channel change, it may besufficient to have the sensor unit 106 detect a motion or gesture of thewearer 10 of the smart glass 100 and provide the detected result.

The movement determining unit 107 receives the sensing detection resultof the sensor unit 106. Thereafter, upon comparison with a predeterminedreference value, if the detected result is greater than the referencevalue by a specific size, the movement determining unit 107 maydetermine that a significant movement has been detected. Additionally,even in case the detected result is recognized as a specific gesture(e.g., a motion of picking up an object, and so on), the movementdetermining unit 107 may also determine that a significant movement hasbeen detected. The determined result of the movement determining unit107 may be provided to the controller 110 so as to be used as a basis ofthe final determination.

As a main controller of the smart glass 100, in addition to controllingeach element 101 to 107 configuring the above-described smart glass 100,the controller 110 also controls information between each element andcontrols data transmission/reception. Respectively, as described above,the operation processes shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 6 according to exemplaryembodiment of the present invention may be realized based upon thefunctions of the controller 110. For example, in determining the subjectperforming the channel change, the controller 110 may determine thesubject having performed the channel change based upon all of a sensingresult detected from the sensor unit 106, a movement determining resultprovided from the movement determining unit 107, and a channel changesignal received from the external device 30 through the communicationunit 103.

Meanwhile, the block view showing the internal structure of the smartglass 100 shown in FIG. 9 should be understood as an example given forconvenience of description. Therefore, in the actual design of the smartglass 100, each element shown in FIG. 9 may be configured as a singleintegrated block or may be separately configured only of multiplerequired blocks. For example, the movement determining unit 107 has beenillustrates as a separate element only for the convenience in thedescription of the present invention. And, therefore, it will beapparent that, when realizing the actual product, the movementdetermining unit 107 can be configured as a single processor along withthe controller 110.

As described above, the wearable device and the method for controllingdisplay of the same according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention have the following advantages. According to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, when a third party user other thanthe user wearing the wearable device attempts to change the viewingchannel, the information on the previous channel continues to bedisplayed to the wearer of the wearable device (or viewer wearing thewearable device). Accordingly, the viewer wearing the wearable devicemay continue to be provided with the information he (or she) wishes.According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, whena third party user other than the user wearing the wearable deviceattempts to change the viewing channel, by providing a user selectablemenu information to the viewer wearing the wearable device, the viewerwearing the wearable device may be capable of selecting a wanted (ordesired) menu. Thus, according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the user convenience for the user (or viewer) wearingthe wearable device may be enhanced.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, itis intended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a method for controlling display of a wearabledevice, the wearable device being equipped with a display means, themethod for controlling the wearable device comprises: determiningwhether or not the contents change corresponds to a change performed bya wearer of the wearable device when a contents change in informationcurrently being viewed through an external device occurs; and displayinga content signal that was previously viewed prior to the contents changeto the display means when it is determined that the contents changecorresponds to a change performed by a viewer other than the wearer ofthe wearable device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofdetermining whether or not the contents change corresponds to a changeperformed by a wearer of the wearable device, comprises: detecting aspecific motion or gesture of the wearer of the wearable device; afterdetecting the specific motion or gesture, verifying whether or not acontents change signal is received; and based upon the verified result,when the contents change signal is received after detecting the specificmotion or gesture of the wearer of the wearable device, determining therespective contents change as a contents change performed by the wearerof the wearable device.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in order todetermine the received contents change as a contents change performed bythe wearer of the wearable device, a movement in a body and an arm ofthe wearer of the wearable device is detected to be equal to or greaterthan a predetermined size at least before the contents change signal isreceived.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: when wirelesscommunication is set up with the external device, receiving contentsinformation currently being displayed on the external device and storingthe received contents information.
 5. The method of claim 4, furthercomprising: when it is determined that the contents change correspondsto a change performed by a viewer other than the wearer of the wearabledevice, using the stored contents information, so as to request forcontents corresponding to the stored contents information from theexternal device.
 6. A wearable device, comprising: a communication unitconfigured to be capable of performing communication with an externaldevice; a display means configured to be capable of displaying a signalreceived from the external device; and a controller configured toperform control operations so that a content signal requested prior tocontents change can be displayed on the display means of the wearabledevice, when a contents change in information currently being viewedthrough an external device occurs, and when it is determined that thecontents change does not correspond to a change performed by a wearer ofthe wearable device.
 7. The wearable device of claim 6, furthercomprising: a sensor unit configured to detect a motion or gesture ofthe wearer of the wearable device.
 8. The wearable device of claim 7,wherein, in order to determine whether or not the contents changecorresponds to a change performed by a wearer of the wearable device,the controller is configured to analyze a specific motion or gesture ofthe wearer of the wearable device, the specific motion of gesture beingdetected by the sensor unit, and, only when a contents change signal isreceived after detecting the specific motion or gesture, determining therespective contents change as a contents change performed by the wearerof the wearable device.
 9. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein, inorder to determine the received contents change as a contents changeperformed by the wearer of the wearable device, a movement in a body andan arm of the wearer of the wearable device is detected to be equal toor greater than a predetermined size at least before the contents changesignal is received.
 10. The wearable device of claim 6, furthercomprising: a storage unit configured to receive contents informationcurrently being displayed on the external device and to store thereceived contents information, when wireless communication is set upwith the external device.
 11. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein,when it is determined that the contents change corresponds to a changeperformed by a viewer other than the wearer of the wearable device, thecontroller is further configured to perform a process of requesting forcontents corresponding to the stored contents information from theexternal device by using the stored contents information stored in thestorage unit.
 12. The wearable device of claim 6, wherein the wearabledevice corresponds to a smart glass type device.
 13. The wearable deviceof claim 6, wherein the wearable device corresponds to a smart watchtype device.
 14. The wearable device of claim 6, wherein the wearabledevice corresponds to a smart lens type device.
 15. In a method forcontrolling display of a wearable device, the wearable device beingequipped with a display means, the method for controlling the wearabledevice comprises: receiving contents change information from theexternal device, when a contents change in information currently beingviewed through an external device occurs; providing the display meanswith user interaction inquiring on whether or not to receive a previouscontents signal prior to the contents change according to the receivedcontents change information; identifying a user command requesting forthe previous contents signal to be received through the userinteraction; and receiving the previous contents signal from an externalsource with respect to the user command, and displaying the receivedprevious contents signal on the display means of the wearable device.16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: verifying whether or notthe contents change is performed by the wearer of the wearable device,wherein the user interaction is provided to the display means when it isdetermined through the verification step that the contents change isperformed by a viewer other than the wearer of the wearable device. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the step of verifying whether or not thecontents change is performed by the wearer of the wearable devicecomprises: analyzing a specific motion or gesture of the wearer of thewearable device; and when the contents change signal is received afteranalyzing the specific motion or gesture of the wearer of the wearabledevice, determining the respective contents change as a contents changeperformed by the wearer of the wearable device.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein, in order to determine the received contents change as acontents change performed by the wearer of the wearable device, amovement in a body and an arm of the wearer of the wearable device isdetected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined size at leastbefore the contents change signal is received.